Real Madrid trio outshines five EuroLeague teams in playoff appearances / News - Basketnews.com

Sergio Llull, Sergio Rodriguez, and Rudy Fernandez have collectively made more playoff appearances than five EuroLeague teams that have made it to the postseason.

Credit: Sonia Canada/Getty Images Credit Sonia Canada/Getty Images

The EuroLeague playoffs are right around the corner, and this year's contenders feature a mix of veterans and promising up-and-comers. BasketNews checked on each team's playoff experience heading into the postseason.

Points this season

46%76,2Points made:76,2Accuracy:45,9%Place in standings:16Record max:95Record min:60Best scorer:Keenan EvansTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

The playoffs demand a lot from players - from mental focus and game strategy to physical conditioning and recovery.

With just two games in 72 hours against the same opponent, players must be able to adjust and make necessary changes to their game quickly. And with the decisive series of the season unfolding in less than two weeks, there's little time for error.

That's why the teams with the most playoff experience often have an edge. They know what it takes to rise to the occasion and have the mental and physical fortitude to make the necessary adjustments on the fly. It's a tough road, but the payoff can be immense.

Real Madrid, with an impressive 209 combined playoff appearances, is the clear front-runner in terms of experience this year.

Their roster is loaded with players who have been through multiple playoff runs and championships, including this year's three most experienced players: Sergio Llull, Rudy Fernandez, and Sergio Rodriguez.

The three of them have collectively made more playoff appearances than five EuroLeague teams that have made it to the postseason.

Llull has appeared in 42 playoff games, followed closely by Kostas Sloukas with 37 (Olympiacos Piraeus), Fernandez with 34, and both Rodriguez and Nick Calathes (Fenerbahce Istanbul) with 32 each.

FC Barcelona comes in second with 157 playoff appearances, followed by Olympiacos Piraeus with 111 and Fenerbahce Istanbul with 84.

Monaco, with 30, Maccabi, with 29, and Zalgiris, with 25, are the three least experienced playoff teams.

Team Combined playoffs experience Real Madrid 209 FC Barcelona 157 Olympiacos Piraeus 111 Fenerbache Beko Istanbul 84 Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade 51 AS Monaco 30 Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 29 Zalgiris Kaunas 25

Zalgiris Kaunas / Schedule

FC Barcelona Zalgiris KaunasWed18:00 FC Barcelona Zalgiris KaunasFri18:00

Zalgiris have only three players with playoff experience: Rolands Smits (13), Edgaras Ulanovas (8), and Lukas Lekavicius (4).

Meanwhile, Mike James has the same number of playoff appearances (15) as the rest of the AS Monaco team.

In addition, they all (Donatas Motiejunas,Donta Hall,Yakuba Ouattara,Alpha Diallo) made their playoff debut last season, with James leading the way in the series against Olympiacos.

Partizan Belgrade players have appeared in 51 playoff games. Still, they have a true master in their head coach, Zeljko Obradovic, who has coached in 21 playoff series in EuroLeague and European club competitions, advancing through on 20 occasions.

Maccabi Tel Aviv enters the playoffs with 48 playoff appearances, making their matchup against Monaco the least experienced in this year's postseason.

While playoff experience can certainly help, it's not the only factor in determining success. As the EuroLeague playoffs approach, it will be interesting to see which teams can rise to the challenge and come out on top.

Playoff predictions on the URBONUS podcast:

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